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Letter: ‘Bordering on the insane’
FURTHER to last week’s article, the amount of water quoted, 7,500 cubic metres, on a one-off basis, to frack in Balcombe for shale gas, is quite insignificant, when compared to the potential of vast reserves of cheap, low-carbon gas (also don’t forget 72,000 cubic metres of water are lost every day by South East Water).
The ‘slick’ water used in fracking is 99.86 per cent water and sand. Shale gas operations in the USA are heavily regulated and closely monitored. State regulators have all asserted in writing that there have been no verified or documented cases of drinking water contamination as a result of hydraulic fracking.
The earth tremors associated with the fracking stage near Blackpool, produced tiny, barely perceptible tremors.
The few production buildings are no bigger than domestic garages. The output of a gas wellhead is equivalent to the average output of about 47 giant 2.5MW wind turbines, each one twice the height of Nelson’s Column with blades noisily thrumming the air. The gas wellhead can be hidden in a hollow or behind a hedge. The 47 wind turbines must be on top of hills.
The gas well requires no subsidy – in fact it pays a hefty tax to the Government – whereas the wind turbines each cost you a substantial add-on to your electricity bill. Unreliable wind power costs three times (nine times if offshore) as much as reliable gas-fired power.
To persist with a policy of pursuing subsidised renewable energy in the midst of a terrible recession, at a time when vast reserves of cheap low-carbon gas have suddenly become available is so perverse it borders on the insane. Nothing but bureaucratic inertia and vested interest can explain it.
Source: http://www.rationaloptimist.com/blog/shale-gas-shock
Chris French
Chairman, UKIP Mid Sussex,
Firtoft Close,
Burgess Hill
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Weather for Haywards Heath
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 25 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: East
Comments
There are 3 comments to this article
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Chris French
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 02:06 PMCheap, abundant, low carbon, shale gas powers USA out of recession: http:www.telegraph.co.uknewsworldnewsbarackobama9089034US-economy-is-stepping-on-the-gas.html Why not here too?
Chris French
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 01:12 PMFracking for the vast reserves of cheap, low carbon shale gas is environmentally benign. Please provide evidence that it is not. You ask "What is happening in the pursuit of alternative sources of fuel?" Well at the moment, we have 4,000 of those inefficient, ugly, noisy, twice the height of Nelson's Column, massively subsidised, wind turbines currently blighting our once beautiful country. Thousands more wind turbines will follow courtesy of our politicians' ill conceived, completely ineffective and expensive (£720bn) Climate Change Act and the frankly obscene and unsustainable subsidies the wind turbine owners (e.g. the power companies) and wealthy landowners receive from the Government, who in turn take it from us, through higher energy bills and via the imposition of Renewable Obligation Certificates upon electricity suppliers.
Johndennett
Tuesday, February 21, 2012 at 12:17 PMHi, Having been out of the country for 31 years (I live in South Africa) I remember Balcome as a lovely place and can remember crunching a few bones on the soccer field.(Sorry guys for the damage). I can`t believe that fracking has been allowed in such a beautiful place .What is happening in the persuit of alternative sources of fuel ?. In South africa we have much the same problem as the love of money brushes aside God given landscapes & leaves them scarred forever.Don`t let it happen!
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